


Brody's New Friend

by DaylightDreamerJJ



Category: No Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Being Lost, Clingy, Confusion, Dog - Freeform, Drunken Confessions, Drunken Flirting, Drunkenness, M/M, Neighbors, Original Character(s), Sweet, guard dog, housing development, playful
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-28
Updated: 2015-01-28
Packaged: 2018-03-09 09:32:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3244712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaylightDreamerJJ/pseuds/DaylightDreamerJJ
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I blame you. You knew that milkshake or whatever was booze, didn't you? I should kick your ass for not warnin' me." He made his best semblance of an angry glare without opening his eyes.</p><p>Suddenly a dreamy smile graced his nicely angled face. "I'll forgive you this time, though. I had a nice dream. It was about my neighbor... the one I told you guys about. Gods, that is one gorgeous man... I just wish I could remember it all. It's really foggy, but I think his dog tried to eat me at first... then he saved me and was just really sweet... really, really sweet... and hot... really hot. Damn."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Brody's New Friend

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mars_hylian](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mars_hylian/gifts).



> Because I can ^_^
> 
> I'm sorry if any of the drunken speech is this is difficult to understand, please let me know if I should change any of it to be more understandable. Thank you! ^_^
> 
> I hope you enjoy!  
> -JJ

"Youu're 'n arse, Brrrendaan." Slurred a handsome, broad-shouldered young man. His olive eyes were slightly glazed and glaring at his friend.

  
Brendan laughed and brushed his long blonde hair back from his face. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Yer good, Bro, just be quiet. It's past eleven, she's probably asleep in bed anyway."

  
"Sh's g'nna muurrderr me 'f sh's-not." He gave his friend one last, pleading look as he scrubbed a hand through his own chocolate colored tufts, trying to revive more of his consciousness.  "I c'n suckh y' offf 'f ya lemme stay wi' you."

  
"Jeez, Nik, don't be an ass. Ya know I'm not drunk, 'n' yer not a slut. We had this talk when we came out to each other, right? Yer my bro, I got none o' those feelin's fer ya, and you got none fer me." Brendan spoke slowly, like he was explaining something complicated to a child.

  
Nik shook his head. "I'm rrrreeally good, 'n' 's'got nothin' ta do wi' that kinna feelin's s'metimes."

  
"We both know that ain't happenin', yer too good fer that, 'n' I'm gonna pretend I am, 'cause I'm the sober one."

  
He got only a glare in return.

  
"I'm sorry, man. Blame Taran 'n' Lita, they're the one's that got ya drunk, I know you din't think that was booze, least 'til you were feelin' it. Plus if they weren't so insistent on 'private time', you woul'n't have to worry about yer mom. Coulda just stayed with them."

  
The drunk boy shuddered, clutching the seatbelt that he still refused to unhook, even though they'd been parked on the street outside his house for several minutes. "Ugh, ewwwwww. Bren, whyyyyyy? Schtraight sexxx."

  
"Oy, I only said 'private time'. B'sides, Lita's awesome, 'n' some guys like tits." He chuckled when his friend shuddered again.

  
"Don' tellll me 'boout girlsss righ' now, Bren. Don't care'f you likche 'em, I'mma be sicchhk." The brunette groaned.

  
Brendan lurched over him and flung the passenger door open. "Get out! Nik, please don't puke in my car!" He shoved the shoulder that was closer to him so the boy was turned with his face toward the opening.

  
Shoving the hand from his shoulder, the boy turned back from the sidewalk to glare at his friend once again. "I wassbein' meloodr'maticcchh! Sshheesssch!"

  
The blonde grinned sheepishly at him. "Sorry... Fer real, though, I can't take you home with me. Ya know, either Mom or Johnny're waitin' ta "make sure I got home alright" which really means ta make sure I'm back before two, sober, 'n' alone; they don't want me bangin' dudes too close-by, pretty sure that goes for chicks, too, but I don't take _anyone_ home. If you go home with me, my mom'll be on the phone with yers in, like, four seconds." He raised his pitch and started flailing a bit, imitating his own mother while the other boy stared at him. _"I'm so sorry to call, but your Nikos has come home with my Brendan and I'm afraid he's highly intoxicated! Would you like me to bring him home to you, so you can beat him senseless now, or wait until he's sober so that he knows he's being beaten?"_

"I hate-chu." Nikos mumbled, finally unbuckling and pushing his seatbelt off.

  
"I know, love you, too, Bro. Now let's get you inside." Brendan moved his hand to his own seatbelt to get out of the vehicle but Nikos stopped him.

  
"No, 'f-you wanna 'bandon me: leassst do i' righ'. Leaf me here t' ge' bachk on my own."

  
"Ya really are bein melodramatic, man. We're, like, twenty feet from yer house. Lemme help ya get in." The blonde unhooked his seatbelt and was jerked back when an overly-strong drunken hand yanked the seatbelt to buckle it back in.

  
"I got thisss. You-w'll jush machke noiisse." He gave his a friend a smug, faux-angry look.

  
"Ya sure...?" Brendan was a little worried, but Nikos had a stubborn side you wouldn't believe, so he settled for allowing his friend to go in alone when he nodded and crossed his arms.

  
"Latder, Bren. Drriive sa-fel-ly." The dark haired boy got out of the car with some difficulty, stumbling just a bit on the sidewalk.

  
"See ya, Nik. Good luck, I'll tex' ya when I get home to see how ya did 'n' let ya know I got there. Whoa, wait! Don't forget these!" He shouted as his friend started to turn away, he held up Nikos' keys, the house key between his thumb and forefinger. "It's this one. Jus' remember to be quiet!"

  
"I know! Gimme tho-oshe." He turned back to take the keys, shut the door and stood, pointing down the street, gesturing for Brendan to leave,"Thanchks, n-ow get outda here!"

  
Brendan rolled his eyes, muttering something about being glad he, at least, was sober, and waving to his friend before he drove away, out onto the road outside of the little housing development.

  
Nikos turned around, clutching the house key Brendan had handed him, not willing to admit it was helpful, and walked straight off the sidewalk, into the grass toward his home.

  
He made it about six steps before he swayed, slipped on dew-damp grass while trying catch himself, and spun, landing on his backside and toppling over to the left.

  
"Crap..." He muttered to himself, flinching at the cool breeze on his now damp skin and clothes.

  
Picking up the keys, he sorted through them to find the house key once more, and pushed himself unsteadily out of the grass, wobbling a bit as he found his footing.

  
He looked up and squinted at the houses in front of him, belatedly realizing that they were across the street, ' _Backwards... 'cause I fell._ ', he thought to himself, turning around and -not for the first time in his life- cursing the fact that he lived in a housing development. Looking back and forth at the two houses he stood between, the bit of lawn they shared seemed obnoxiously even and he couldn't remember which one he'd been walking to.

  
The two were identical, different shades of grey and perfectly, symmetrically mirrored, truly, but his alcohol fogged mind couldn't sort that out in the dim of the streetlights.

  
Nikos huffed in exasperation and tried to remember which direction he'd turned from the car, but could only recall that he'd immediately left the sidewalk. He squinted again, trying to see some difference, something that made one of them 'home'. In the end, he decided that the cobblestones of one footpath to the door looked more familiar -wondered for one hazy moment why he hadn't taken the path to begin with- and unsteadily walked to the door, gripping the rail with deadly force as he went up the three steps to the small porch.

  
He fumbled with the key for a long minute before finally getting it into the right position in his hand and sliding it into the lock... partially. It didn't want to go in all the way, so he pulled it out, flipped it over and tried again; it didn't go in at all this time.

  
Second guessing yourself... doesn't always come easy when you're as stubborn and drunk as Nikos was at the moment. So, he flipped the key once more, and pushed it into the lock, glaring at it when it stopped too soon. He pulled it out, looked closely at the key, determined that it was, in fact, the key to his front door (he'd attempted the side-door key before, it doesn't work), and pushed it in, one more time, for good measure.

  
He growled at the key, giving it his meanest glare as though that might make it the right key, or the right door, for that matter, and suddenly jumped when he heard a loud, deep bark very nearby in the darkness.

  
"Hush!" Came a whispered yell from the same direction.

  
He heard two more barks, loud, low, and possessive, and tried to convince himself not to wet his pants as he also heard the repetitive, sort-of pat-scrape sound of a large dog running on cement and stone, toward him. The task was made much more difficult when he actually saw the dog, running from the sidewalk onto the cobbled path, bounding toward him and not looking very friendly. The gigantic German Shepard made it to the steps and was just about to jump up them when the gentle voice that had shushed him before suddenly boomed from the sidewalk.

  
 **"Brody, HALT."**

  
The dog (Brody, presumably) stopped immediately, and sat right where he was at the bottom of the stairs, his eyes still hard fixed on Nikos.

  
The man who'd yelled to the dog jogged up the path, stopping to quietly give Brody another command which made the dog take a ready stance, and spoke, angrily at first, then turning into confusion. "What are you doing he- ... wait, are you-? ...Aren't you my neighbor?"

  
Nikos stared between him and the dog, wide eyed and nearly positive he must just be having a nightmare or seizure, or something. He nodded slowly and the world seemed to wobble a bit as he grasped tighter to the doorknob, wishing he could convince the key to work.

  
"Are you alright? Do you need something?" The man asked, his face turning to worry.

  
Nikos swallowed hard and looked at the dog, realizing that he'd seen it before; he'd actually watched them while they walked or played outside several times. Truthfully, he knew that he'd been mostly interested in watching the dog's owner,  but he had seen the dog and he'd never seen it look so terrifying.

  
The man followed his gaze and made a little 'oh' sound, before flattening his hand completely and moving it so that his palm was parallel to the ground. "At ease, Brody."

  
The dog relaxed immediately, the slight snarl dropping from his face and intensity gone from his eyes as he dropped his rump to the ground and swished his tail back and forth a few times, looking happily up at his master.

  
The young brunette continued to stare, still contemplating whether or not he'd wet his pants.

  
"You didn't answer; are you okay?" The man said, his blue eyes searching Nikos, looking for signs of injury or something wrong before stepping up a couple of stairs.

  
"I-I... my key... w-won' worchk." Nikos muttered, trying to clear the fog in his brain.

  
Very slight dimples appeared in softly rounded, cold-reddened cheeks when the man smiled at him, laughing slightly as he moved up the last step and made another hand motion at the dog, who didn't move in the slightest. "That's because _your_ key, won't fit _my_ door."

  
"Bu-but... this is..." He stammered, his hard head still having a hard time believing he'd misplaced his own home.

  
 "Wrong house, sweetheart." The man smiled warmly and placed a hand on Nikos' shoulder. "Are you going to be alright? You're drunk, aren't you? Come on, I'll walk you home."

  
"No! She can' ssee me likche thisss! 'fyou knochk, 'm dead." The boy's eyes showed his panic clearly, thinking that the adult in front of him would surely alert his mother to his condition after that outburst.

  
The older man considered him for a moment, pushing tendrils of dark, cinnamon hued hair back from his face as he thought. "So then, you're not old enough to drink, I take it?"

  
Nikos looked down at his left hand, still grasping the doorknob, and shook his head, feeling embarrassed and a bit shameful. "I-I'm... 'm eighteen."

  
"Ah, that's not so bad. Fifteen, I probably would have dragged you back by your scruff and presented you to your mother; eighteen... well, come on in, I'll help you sober up." The man gently removed Nikos' hand from the door, chuckling when the boy's cheeks flared red, and extracted the key that was always destined to fail, replacing it with his own.

  
He pushed the door open and gestured Nikos inside, stopping for a second in the doorway to beckon Brody inside as well, and closed the door behind them.

  
"You know the way to the kitchen, right? They're all the same, I think mine is opposite yours, though. Go ahead, I'll be right there."

  
"Umm... thanksss." The boy bent to removed his shoes, but promptly tipped forward, almost in slow motion, until his forehead hit the cool, grey-green wall with a hollow 'thunk'.

  
His neighbor chuckled and helped him stand upright again. "Okay, then. I'll get them, hold onto me so you don't fall, okay?" He took the boy's hand and pressed it firmly on his shoulder, demonstrating that he meant to be used if Nikos needed to steady himself, and knelt down to attend to his sneakers.

  
The slight pressure on the man's shoulder shifted as he helped the drunken boy lift one foot, removed the shoe, and repeated the process with the other. He was about to move away and take his own shoes off when the hand on his shoulder seemed to disappear for a second and then came back full force, seemingly the majority of the boy's weight. Reacting quickly, he braced the boy, one hand had found his hip, the other, his ribs. "I've got you. Do you feel okay... dizzy?"

  
Nikos couldn't answer, he just stared at his neighbor, something in his head fuzzily remembering when he'd first seen him; his hair was too long at the time and he brushed it back from his face as he walked briskly down the road, his lean-muscled frame hinting at a past in swimming or track, Nikos had nearly had a heart attack when he realized that the gorgeous man he'd been fantasizing over was living right next door to him. 

He hadn't stopped annoying Brendan and Taran with talk about his hot new neighbor for at least two weeks, and in the end he shut up when they told him to make a move or they would. Now, -something like three months later- that same man was kneeling in front of him, looking up with stunning blue eyes, slightly chilled hands firm and protective on the teen's body. He felt his face heat up and a warm tingle below his navel at the sight; accidental though it was, in his mind played a scenario that most certainly was not what actually lead to this. He shivered at the thought.

  
The blue eyes didn't leave Nikos' as the man stood, his face growing more concerned the longer he went without an answer.  
"Hey... Hey, are you in there?" The hand on his hip came up to the boy's shoulder and squeezed, finally snapping him out of the trance he was in.

He nodded slowly, afraid to dizzy himself again, lest he end up in this man's arms, not that he'd really mind, but it could end up awkward.

"Scared me a little, there. You got all flushed and it looked like you were in your own little world." 

Nikos felt his face heat up again and wished he could pretend the man wouldn't see it. "S-sorrry. 'm ookaiy, jusss... w-wobb-ly."

The warm smile returned, relief erasing the worry from the man's handsome, yet youthful face. "Hey, what's your name? I couldn't call to you when you spaced out."

Hazy green eyes looked uncomprehending for a moment before the teen realized he's been asked a question and had to dig the answer -no matter how simple- from the depths of his foggy mind. "Neiikossch." Came his slurred reply.

"Uh... Nicolas?" The man attempted to decode the distorted name.

"Nuh-uh" muttered the teen, "i's Neii-kosch. Noo 'laaa'." he dragged out the 'ah' sound.

His neighbor considered the drunken speech for a moment. "Nee...kos? Is it Nikos?"

The boy slowly nodded, a dazed smile crossing his face as he mumbled, "Grreechk."

"Oh! Greek, that's fantastic! Nice to meet you, Nikos. I'm Ryan." He backed up a bit, removing his hands and jutting one forward to shake Nikos' before realizing he'd let go too abruptly and catching the boy's wobbling frame by the shoulders.

"S'rrry... sooorry." He mumbled, attempting to right himself.

Ryan wrapped one arm around Nikos' shoulders and grasped his arm with the other hand, toed off his own shoes, and led him out to the kitchen, helping him into a chair carefully.

"Don't worry about it, shall we just get you a bit more conscious, now?" 

Nikos nodded slowly once again and leaned forward, draping himself across the table a bit.

"What did you drink?" The older man asked, trying to decide the best course of action for the boy's stomach.

The response was less than helpful. "Dun-no, did-n know i' w's alchh-hol 'til I did-n care."

"Okay, then... do you have any food allergies?" 

Moving to rest his head on his arm, the teen scrunched his eyebrows and nose into a questioning face, but still shook his head in the negative.  
The man turned away and started moving through the kitchen, pulling out the things he needed, digging something out of the refrigerator and loading the plate before putting it in the microwave.

"Can you have aspirin?" He asked when he was finished with his task and was getting a glass of water. 

Nikos nodded at him, a quiet 'Mmh-hmm' humming from his throat as he watched Ryan set the glass in front of him and move to his next mission.

Ryan was just tapping a couple of aspirin into his hand from the bottle when the microwave beeped, 'FOOD IS DONE' flashing across the screen.

He set the medicine next to the water glass, retrieved the food and set it in front of this inebriated guest.

"Wh't's th's?" The boy asked, staring hazily at the plate. 

"German dish. It's just pasta, really. You need to eat, though; you probably drank more than you've eaten today, by the looks of you." 

Nikos nodded again, picking up the fork and doing his best to not make a mess as he ate, taking the pills when he was reminded to, and drinking lots of water, hoping Ryan was right about all of it helping to prevent a hangover tomorrow and sober him up now.

"Feeling any better?" Ryan asked gently as the boy finished the plate and sat back in his chair.

"Mmm-hmm, I th-think sho." He grimaced at the difficulty of his speech before trying again. "Th-at w's rreally good pas-sta, too. Thhank you."

"Thank you, and you're welcome!" Grinning brightly, Ryan cleaned up the table and refilled Nikos' water glass.

"You know, a shower might sober you up a bit more," the man started, reaching his hand out to pet Brody casually, as if without thinking, "but I'd be afraid you'd fall. You're not really steady enough, are you?" 

The brunette tried to sit up straight in the chair he was slumped back against and realized the best he could do was sway side to side; he could be upright, but only for a second. "No... I don- think sso."

Ryan nodded. "No shower, then. Your speech is getting better, though. Right, Brody?" He glanced down at the dog, who wagged his tail happily at being included.

Nikos looked warily at the dog, still nervous even though he seemed to be very much under Ryan's control.

"He won't hurt you, he was only protecting the house." Leaning against the counter-top, the man smiled reassuringly. "He wouldn't have anyway, unless I told him to; he's very well trained." He looked back at Brody and nodded toward the living-room. "Brody, go find a prize."

The dog wagged his tail happily and bounded off into the living room.

"Are you afraid of dogs, or is it just because he scared you?" 

The boy stared through the doorway still, unfocused but hearing everything, he finally processed the question and looked back at Ryan. "I-'m nod a-a-fraid." 

"Good." Ryan grinned at him again and Brody trotted back out into the kitchen with a floppy plush duck in his mouth, wagging happily and looking up at the man, his nails tapped on the floor over and over; it seemed he couldn't stand still from excitement. 

"Good boy, Brody. That's a nice ducky, now, go give your prize to Nikos. Give it to _him_." He put emphasis on 'him' and pointed at Nikos, whom Brody rushed over to.

  
The dog looked happily up into Nikos' face, expectant, but the boy didn't know what to do, so he just stared back at the dog. Brody whined and pushed the toy into his lap, resting his big head on Nikos' thigh. 

He hesitantly lifted his hand and stroked the dog's head, very slowly and softly, before putting his hand near the duck. The dog eagerly released the duck into Nikos' hand and licked his arm, wagging his tail so hard that he couldn't stand still, and -Nikos swore to himself- he was smiling.

"Uh... th-thank you... Brrrody." He said quietly, not really sure what else to do, he looked up to Ryan questioningly.

The man smiled gently at him. "If you toss it for him, he'll be in love with you forever."

Nikos looked down again, considering the dog for a moment, and smiled a little. "I thhink I'd likhe thhatd." He tossed the duck into the air, Brody darted toward the living room and grabbed the toy before it hit the floor, whirling around happily to wag at his new friend before trotting to a pillow in the corner and laying down with his prize. 

"Looks like that settles it, he'll have to keep you now." Ryan smirked at him.

"S'okay, I don- mind." Nikos drunkenly smirked back.

They sat in contented quiet for a few minutes while Brody fawned over his duck, making silly little noises that completely betrayed any effectiveness he may have had as a guard dog.

"So, you sound a bit better now, how coherent are you?" The man asked, gauging the other's reaction time to his question; it took longer to register than he was hoping for.

"'m okay... I guess... dun-no..." Nikos mumbled.

"Do you drink coffee?" He tried again and laughed when the reaction was a horrified, disgusted look from the boy.

"Okay, no coffee, no shower. You're not ready, though, if you get caught, your mother will definitely know you're drunk. Time is the only thing left to sober you up." 

Nikos blinked slowly at him a few times. "Thhank you... you coulda j's sen- me hooome. Thhanks ferrr help-pin' me."

Ryan smiled softly, amazed at actually getting a 'Thank you' from a drunken teenager, they're exceedingly rare to begin with, but this was a first for him. "You're welcome, sweetheart. Maybe visit me sober next time, though, and don't try to break in, okay?"

The boy gave him a shocked look when the words registered and started to protest, getting cut off before he could really start.

"I know, I know, you were just confused. I was only teasing." Ryan reassured him, moving forward and resting a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. I was just playing."

Nikos sighed and gave him a half-assed glare, his head lolling to the side and ruining the slightest potential of a menacing look.

"Why don't you stay here tonight. Sleep it off here and you can go home tomorrow as if you'd never tried to go home tonight." 

The boy's ear brushed on the Ryan's hand as he moved his head to look at the man standing next to him. "'S'that rrreally o-kay? 'm 'nvading yerr housse 'n' all."

Ryan laughed softly and Nikos felt a slightly calloused thumb brush against his ear. "You're not invading me, sweetheart. I'm just helping out a new friend. If it makes you feel better, you can pay me back sometime by coming back to play with Brody; he's in love with you, remember?"

"Asssif yer not out-dere playin' with 'im all-a time anyyywayss." The teen mumbled drowsily.

The man held out his hand and helped Nikos up out of the chair, wrapping an arm around his shoulders to lead him to bed. "So you have noticed me, then?"

He nodded slowly, the alcohol mixing with the drowsiness of a long day and full stomach and making him even more sluggish. "Watch-shu all-a time. Looksssso fun... 'n' y'rrr preetty." 

"..." Ryan looked at him for a moment, a small, soft smile creeping onto his face. "You think I'm pretty?" 

Nikos had a hazy, dreamy look as he nodded and muttered quietly, "beautdifuulll..." while wobbling along beside his neighbor.

The man fought the grin that tried to take over his face, knowing that the subtle blush would go unnoticed by the teenager anyway. "You're cute, but you're definitely way too drunk and tired to sober up tonight."

"S'okay, I'mma stay w'you, righ'?" Was the mumbled reply.

"Right." He helped the boy sit on the edge of his bed, shushing the voice in his head that told him to enjoy the sight. "Here ya go, do you want pajamas? I have some fleece pants..."

"I ge' too hoooot." Nikos wobbled as he pulled his shirt over his head and fell sideways on the bed, dropping the freed garment onto the floor and trying to unbutton his pants one-handed. 

Ryan took a deep breath and scrubbed his hand over his face, attempting to regain his composure after seeing such a thing. "What are you doing, Nikos?" 

The boy stopped struggling and looked up at his host, his mouth falling open when he once again realized he was not alone. "Oh... n-nodmy housse... ferrrgott."

Chuckling, Ryan stepped toward him. "That little growl you make when you struggle with 'r's is really adorable, do you do that sober?" He asked as he helped the boy right himself, receiving no reply, as he expected. "So I assume that you sleep in your boxers, is that what you were trying to accomplish?"

Nikos stared at him for another minute before finally nodding and mumbling in a slight whine, "I ge' hotd."

Ryan let cinnamon colored strands drop over his face as he breathed slowly for a moment before pulling Nikos to his feet and steadying him long enough to unbutton his pants and let them drop to the ground.

The boys fingers dug into Ryan's shoulders, a deep red blush and look of awe covered the teens features as his host pulled back the covers and helped him into the bed.

"Goodnight, Nikos." He said and moved to walk away, only to find a strong, tan hand wrapped around his wrist.

Nikos had a slightly panicked look on his face as he spoke, "Whaddabou' you, where you goooin'?"

"I'm going to sleep on the couch in the living-room, sweetheart. Don't worry, it'll be okay." The man said soothingly, placing his hand over Nikos' on his arm.

"Nooo... don'- goo, too farrr, lookit errrs-room heere..." the drunken boy whined and patted the other side of the large bed.

"That would be inappropriate, Nikos. Besides, I don't believe we've ever spoken while you were sober, if you've forgotten this when you wake up... well, you're strong enough to hurt me, right? It'd look bad and you'd be very confused." Ryan explained slowly, wishing himself that he'd just shut up and climb into bed. The teen just whined pathetically at him.

He sighed and decided to compromise, gesturing to the couch that was on the wall opposite the side of the bed. "Alright, I'll sleep on this couch, is that okay?"

"Too farrr." Nikos whined again; somewhere, deep inside his mind, he was terribly embarrassed and screaming at himself to shut up, but the alcohol, the fatigue, and a long-time crush refused to let that piece of himself surface.

Ryan sighed once again and pushed up his sleeves, brushing his hair back from his face before moving over to the couch and shoving it away from the wall, turning it and putting the back against the same wall as the headboard of the bed and pushing the arm of the couch against the bed itself. "That's as close as I get, Nikos. It'll have to do." 

The boy nodded and smiled gratefully, snuggling down into the blankets. Ryan laughed, despite his struggles to please Nikos, and made up his blankets on the couch. 

"Brody, bedtime." He called out the door as he walked to the bathroom, Brody trotted in, duck hanging from his jaws, and curled up on a very luxurious dog bed, completely unaffected by the odd sleeping arrangement occurring in other parts of the room. 

"Ry-an..." Nikos called when the older man walked back in from the attached bathroom in a t-shirt and fleece pants.

"Yes?" He walked over to see the boy in the dim lighting. 

"N'v'rr git 'n'drr chanzzz." The boy mumbled to himself under his breath and then looked straight up into his host's bright blue eyes, startling him with their clarity when they'd been so weary. "C'n I have a... a g'nigh' kisss?" 

The man almost laughed out loud, his guest had looked so serious about it, he'd been worried for a moment, but it turns out he was just looking for a bit of affection. He smiled at the boy, "Alright, sweetheart. Just one, then sleep." he said before bending down, pushing back the short, soft, brown tufts and pressing a kiss to the boy's forehead. 

He should have expected it, but the arm that wrapped around his torso still startled him, and he shivered when Nikos' nose brushed against his neck; the boy nuzzled against the soft curve behind his ear and pressed a kiss to his neck before the slightly rational part of him took over again and he released his (not that unwilling) prisoner.

"S-sorrry." The teen mumbled, flushing bright red again.

The man ran his hand once more through the soft chocolate tufts and smiled. "It's alright. Go to sleep, now. Goodnight."

"G'nigh'..." he mumbled, then yawned and drifted off into a peaceful sleep, interrupted only by a short dream involving a handsome neighbor and the warm feeling of a hand in his own.  
  


\---Several hours later---

  
The sun streamed through the windows, highlighting the nicely tanned skin of Nikos' abdomen as he stretched, catlike, and attempted to open his eyes. He flinched and closed them quickly, mentally assessing his current situation. 

He decided first that he was not at home, since the bed and sheets were much softer than his own, not to mention that the sun usually wouldn't be at the right angle to stream into his room as it was. Second, he decided that he did not ever want to drink again, since his head was still spinning. Third, he decided that he must be with Brendan, since he knew he left the small 'party' last night, and Brendan was the only other of the four who would've gone home.

"Bren?" He called out to see if the other boy was still in the room, receiving a small grunt in reply.

"I blame you. You knew that milkshake or whatever was booze, didn't you? I should kick your ass for not warnin' me." He made his best semblance of an angry glare without opening his eyes. 

Suddenly a dreamy smile graced his nicely angled face. "I'll forgive you this time, though. I had a nice dream. It was about my neighbor... the one I told you guys about. Gods, that is one gorgeous man... I just wish I could remember it all. It's really foggy, but I think his dog tried to eat me at first... then he saved me and was just really sweet... really, really sweet... and hot... really hot. Damn."

"Uhm... Nikos?" A sleep groggy voice said from somewhere above his left ear.

Nikos squinted in the direction of the voice; Brendan never called him 'Nikos', - Nik. Dude. Bro. Man. Asshat, even.-  but never 'Nikos'. His eyes followed the direction of his left arm, all the way to his hand, which had another, paler hand clasped in it ... how had he not felt that before?

He suddenly remembered his 'dream' and the fact that it wasn't a dream at all.

"Oh, no." He groaned and felt the blush creep up his neck and ears as he let his eyes finish their journey, landing on the adorably tousled form of his neighbor, savior, host, and crush, curled into the too-small couch, his arm stretched awkwardly to their joined hands.  
"Mornin'." Ryan smiled sleepily at him, tugging on his hand a bit and chuckling.

"Ugh, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Ryan. Uh, I mean Mr. ..., I don't know your name. Oh, man, I'm sorry!" Nikos panicked a bit, releasing the other's hand to cover his face.

"Nikos, sweetheart," The man stood and moved to sit next to his guest, who had bolted into an upright position sometime during his panic, "calm down, okay? Stop apologizing, it's okay. If you plan to call me Mr. _anything_ after last night and your little speech, though, I suggest you start apologizing again, because I will never forgive you."

The boy looked up with a shy smile. "Sorry, Ryan. I'm so embarrassed though... what an awful first impression, and inconvenience... and I got Brody all worked up, and I ate your food, and made you sleep on that tiny couch... oh, no, please tell me I just fell asleep before you came back from the bathroom and that was a dream? Please?"

Ryan smiled kindly at him. "It's okay. Don't be embarrassed, everyone is a little bit silly or clingy when they're drunk. I'm just glad you're not a mean, belligerent drunk." He pressed his thumb lightly to the place on Nikos' forehead where he'd kissed last night and the boy's cheeks flared red again.

After a moment those green eyes stared, lost in a fogged memory, at Ryan's ear and he subconsciously raised his fingers to the place where he'd been kissed, a light tinge of pink on his own cheeks. 

A sudden weight on the bed jolted both of them and they turned to see it's source, Brody, who had bounced up onto the bed and proceeded to give them both multiple good morning kisses.

"That's... new." Nikos mumbled when his face was returned to his own possession.

"You get used to it. He's a big marshmallow. I told you he's in love with you, though." Ryan grinned at his guest. "Anyway, he needs his morning walk. Care to come with us?"

"Sure." The boy smiled back, unable to remain so tense with the two of them being so calm and sweet. 

"I'm not sure what happened before you got here, but your clothes smell like liquor, I'll wash them for you. You don't want to have gone through last night just to have laundry get you in trouble." Ryan picked up the discarded clothes and grabbed a couple of things from his drawers, considering each before deciding what would fit best and passing it to the younger man.

"Mine won't fit you well, sorry, but they should at least go on. What do you play? Football?" He gestured to his torso so that Nikos would understand what he meant.

The teen blushed and looked down at his broad, firm, naked torso and realized how embarrassing last night would continue to be for a long time. He cleared his throat and answered, "Hockey."

Ryan nodded and grinned. "That would do it." 

With a deep blush on his cheeks yet again, Nikos pulled on the tight grey t-shirt and stopped for a moment to stare at his palm in thought. "Why... um, why was I... were we holding hands?" 

The man shrugged and laughed quietly. "I'm not sure... about ten minutes after I thought you'd fallen asleep, you made a weird noise, whining sort-of, and started reaching for me. After you nearly smacked me in the face, I grabbed your hand, you took mine, curled up around it and went back to sleep. So I just let you keep it. I guess I fell asleep and never took it back."

"Oh, jeez. You slept like that all night? Ugh, I'm s- ..." Nikos started quietly, blushing furiously, but stopped the apology short when he received a dangerous glare. "I mean... your shoulder must hurt, right?" 

"I'm only twenty six, not eighty. I can handle an awkward sleeping position for one night. Don't worry your pretty little heart about it, Nikos." Ryan said firmly, adding a wink to the end and walking into the bathroom.

He reappeared a few seconds later. "Brand new toothbrush for you on the sink, help yourself to any of the sprays or cologne if you think you smell like alcohol, I think you're good, though."

"Thanks." The boy pulled on the snug basketball pants he'd been lent and went into the bathroom to clean himself up.

A few minutes later they were ready to go and Brody was practically bouncing with excitement. 

Nikos bent down to give the dog some affection while Ryan was getting a new ball for him and realized that 'playing with Brody' was not going to be enough repayment at all, since he was going to have just as much fun as the dog.

"I may not be allowed to apologize anymore, but I really need to thank you again, I don't know how I can repay you for all the help you gave me last night. I was really not much more than a stranger, and a huge inconvenience. I need to do something for you; more than play with Brody." The teen said, trying to put on the 'game face' he used when he was really saying something important to his team.

Ryan turned back, ball in hand, with a thoughtful, and slightly mischievous look on his face. "Hmm... you think so?" He went silent, pretending to think for a moment. "I really was a gracious host, wasn't I? I was even nice enough to give you a 'goodnight kiss', as requested, if I recall correctly." 

Nikos' face turned crimson and he felt like crawling under the tiny side-table that held Ryan's keys, but he stood still to receive his 'punishment' for being a nuisance (in the form of -what was sure to be endless- teasing) and nodded.

"Well then, it'd only be appropriate repayment if you were to give me what I wanted... right?" The smirk on Ryan's face was a touch terrifying, and not entirely unsuited to his somewhat round, youthful face.

"Yes." The boy said quietly, very worried about the request he was about to receive.

"How about..." Ryan gently ran his fingertip along the edge of Niko's jaw, coaxing him to tip his head up and look ahead, into playful blue eyes, "how about a 'good morning' kiss?"

Olive colored eyes widened and he stared in shock, coming to his senses just in time to respond as soft lips pressed against his own. The kiss was gentle and sweet, Ryan's tongue flicking against his bottom lip only for a second before he pulled away, leaving his young guest a little stunned, but much less tense.

  
"Wh-..." Nikos started, but couldn't quite form the proper words to communicate his question at the moment.

  
Ryan smiled sweetly at him. "You've told me all about how you feel about me over the past several hours. I thought it was only fair for you to know I feel the same."

They shared a moment of quiet smiles and pink-tinged cheeks before Brody became impatient and attempted to steal the ball from Ryan's hand.

"Alright, alright, come on." Ryan opened the door and Brody bounded out, wagging his tail excitedly. The man switched his attention to Nikos. "You still want to come play with him? You'd have to see me, but it's all for Brody, you know?" He winked.

The teen grinned and nodded. "I'll come see him every spare second I get."

Ryan pulled Nikos behind the door for a second and pecked him on the lips before ushering him out the door to play with Brody. "Sounds good to me."


End file.
